Tarcisio Burgnich

Tarcisio Burgnich

Tarcisio Burgnich (left) with Argentinian midfielder René Houseman at the 1974 FIFA World Cup
Personal information
Date of birth25 April 1939[1]
Place of birthRuda, Italy
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[2]
Playing positionSweeper/Right-back
Youth career
Udinese
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
1958–1960Udinese8(0)
1960–1961Juventus13(0)
1961–1962Palermo31(1)
1962–1974Internazionale358(5)
1974–1977Napoli84(0)
Total494(6)
National team‡
1963–1974Italy[1][3]66(2)
Teams managed
1978–1980Livorno
1980–1981Catanzaro
1981–1982Bologna
1982–1984Como
1984–1986Genoa
1986–1987Vicenza
1987–1988Como
1988–1989Catanzaro
1989–1991Cremonese
1991–1992Salernitana
1995–1997Foggia
1997–1998Genoa
1998–1999Lucchese
1999–2000Ternana
2000–2001Pescara
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17 April 2008.

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 17 April 2008

Tarcisio Burgnich (Italian pronunciation: [tarˈtʃiːzjo ˈburɡnitʃ]; 25 April 1939, Ruda, Italy) is a former Italian football defender; he was capable of playing any defensive position, being adept as a sweeper, as a centre-back, and also as a full-back on the right. He has Austrian blood from paternal side since the city of Udine was being part of Austria-Hungary Empire before WW1. Due to his imposing stature and physique, as well as his tenacious style of play, Inter team-mate Armando Picchi (who was the captain and sweeper of the side) gave him the nickname "La Roccia" (The Rock); however, despite his hard-tackling, he was a very correct player.[4]

Career

Club

After short spells at Udinese, Juventus (winning the 1960-61 Serie A title) and Palermo, in Serie B, it was with Internazionale that he found his spiritual home in the 1960s, after being acquired in 1962.[5][6]

A strong, large, quick, and energetic player, Burgnich is regarded as one of the greatest Italian defenders of his time. He was a versatile player who was capable of aiding his team both offensively and defensively, and he was capable of playing as a centre-back, as a sweeper, and as a right-sided full-back, where he particularly excelled, forming a formidable partnership with Giacinto Facchetti at Inter and with the Italian national side. He was an excellent man-marker and tackler, who was adept at anticipating his opponents; he is also remembered for his discipline and for his concentration. He played 467 times for the Nerazzurri, scoring 6 goals, and his physical, aggressive, determined style was ideally suited to the catenaccio system operated by Helenio Herrera throughout Inter's glory years.[7] With Inter, Burgnich enjoyed a highly successful period of domestic, European, and international dominance, winning five Italian championships, two European Cups and two Intercontinental Cups. He was notably part of the legendary Inter lineup of the 1960s still known today as the Grande Inter.[6][5]

Following his 12 seasons with Inter,[6][5] he transferred to Napoli in 1974 for the final three seasons of his career, finally winning the Coppa Italia, as well as the Anglo-Italian League Cup in 1976, before retiring in 1977. In total, he made 494 appearances in Serie A throughout his career.[5]

International

Burgnich was also a pillar of the Italian national team for more than a decade and helped them pick up their one and only European Football Championship title in 1968. He was also on Italy's roster for the 1966 World Cup, as well at the 1970 World Cup, where they reached the final, only to lose 4-1 to Brazil. In the memorable semi-final match against West Germany, often colloquially known as the "Game of the Century", Burgnich even managed to score a goal, helping his team to overcome the Germans 4-3 following extra time. He also took part in the 1974 FIFA World Cup with Italy. In total, he represented the Azzurri 66 times between 1963 and 1974, scoring twice.[5][8]

He may best be membered for his quote about Brazilian star Pelé's headed goal against him, following Italy's 4-1 defeat to Brazil in the 1970 World Cup Final (Burgnich had been assigned to man-mark the Brazilian during the final, but was beaten by him in the air):[4][9]

"I told myself before the game, 'he's made of skin and bones just like everyone else' — but I was wrong."[10]

After retirement

After his retirement, Burgnich worked as a manager on and off for nearly twenty years, with little success. During this time he managed Catanzaro, Bologna, Como, Livorno, Foggia, Lucchese, Cremonese, Genoa, Ternana and Vicenza.[5]

Statistics

Club

[11]

Team Season Serie A Coppa Italia European
Competition1		 Other
Tournaments2		 Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Udinese 1958-59 1 0 - - - -
1959-60 7 0 - - - -
Juventus 1960-61 13 0
Palermo 1961-62 31 1
Internazionale 1962-63 31 0
1963-64 33 0
1964-65 32 1
1965-66 30 0
1966-67 30 2
1967-68 30 0
1968-69 30 1
1969-70 26 1
1970-71 29 0
1971-72 27 0
1972-73 30 0
1973-74 30 0
Napoli 1974-75 30 0
1975-76 30 0
1976-77 24 0
Career Total 494 6

1European competitions include the UEFA European Cup, Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, UEFA Cup, and UEFA Cup Winners' Cup.
2Other tournaments include the Intercontinental Cup.

International goals

Scores and results list Italy's goal tally first.[3]
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 18 June 1966 Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan  Austria 1–0 1–0 Friendly
2 17 June 1970 Estadio Azteca, Mexico City  West Germany 2–2 4–3
(a.e.t.) 		1970 World Cup Semi-final

Honours

Club

Internazionale[5]
Napoli[5]
Juventus F.C.[5]

International

Italy[5]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tarcisio Burgnich.
Wikiquote has quotations related to: Tarcisio Burgnich
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Tarcisio Burgnich at National-Football-Teams.com
  2. ↑ "Tarcisio Burgnich Profile". Retrieved 24 November 2008.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Di Maggio, Roberto (29 May 2005). "Tarcisio Burgnich - International Appearances". RSSSF. Retrieved 5 February 2009.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Ve lo ricordate Tarcisio Burgnich? Ecco come vive". Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 5.9 "Tarcisio Burgnich". Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "SARTI, BURGNICH, FACCHETTI...". Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  7. ↑ "Il Terzino". Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  8. ↑ "Nazionale in cifre: Burgnich, Tarcisio". http://www.figc.it/'' (in Italian). FIGC. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  9. ↑ "LinkedIn 0 Tarcisio Burgnich, la Roccia che saltò con Pelé: "Il mio calcio senza creste"". Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  10. ↑ Kirby, Gentry. "Pelé, King of futbol". ESPN. Retrieved 5 February 2009.
  11. ↑ Di Maggio, Roberto (12 February 2005). "Tarcisio Burgnich - Appearances in Serie A". RSSSF. Retrieved 5 February 2009.